Lincoln Cents, Memorial Reverse (1959-2008)

The Lincoln cent’s 50th birthday, in 1959, also marked the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The Mint observed it by giving the cent a new reverse depicting the Lincoln Memorial. This was fashioned by Frank Gasparro, an assistant engraver (and future chief engraver) at the Mint.

Countless coin collectors got their start with the Lincoln cent. Issued since 1909, the denomination underwent a redesign in 1959 to mark to sesquicentennial of Lincoln’s birth. The Memorial Reverse type, struck 1959-2008, contains no significant date-and-mint rarities. A complete set, including proofs, is within reach of many collectors of modest means.

There are several widely collected varieties and mint errors in the Memorial Reverse series. The 1960 Philadelphia and Denver issues have both Large and Small date varieties. The 1979-S and 1981-S proofs have two distinct mintmark types. Major doubling can be seen on the 1972, 1984 and 1995 and on the reverse of some cents dated 1983. The 1996, 1998, 1998-S, 1999, 1999-S, and 2000 have both Wide and Close AM (in AMERICA) varieties.

Perhaps the most significant varieties are from 1982. The Lincoln cent had been 95% copper since 1909 and with the rising price of copper the coins nearly cost as much to make as the stated denomination. Fearing that a continued rise in the price of copper would prompt speculative hoarding and melting, the Mint began to investigate new compositions. In 1974 more than 1.5 million cents were struck in aluminum as experimental pieces; almost all of these were melted, but have found their way to private hands.

In 1982 the composition of the cent was changed to copper-plated and the weight was reduced from 3.11 grams to 2.5 grams. Some 1982 cents were struck on the old 95% copper planchets while others had the new copper-plated zinc composition. Large and Small date varieties were also produced in 1982. A complete set of 1982 cents typically includes eight coins: 1982 Large Date Bronze, 1982 Small Date Bronze, 1982 Large Date Zinc, 1982 Small Date Zinc, 1982-D Large Date Bronze, 1982-D Large Date Zinc, 1982-D Small Date Zinc, and the 1982-S proof. There is no 1982-D Small Date Bronze variety.

In the mid-2000s there was growing support for a new Lincoln cent design to commemorate to centennial of the Lincoln cent and the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. The Presidential $1 Coin Act, passed in 2005, authorized the Mint to issue four different reverse designs in 2009: “Birth & Childhood,” “Formative Years,” “Professional Life,” and “Presidency.”